“Everybody started calling my music rock ‘n’ roll, but it wasn’t anything but the same rhythm and blues I’d been playing down in New Orleans.”—Fats Domino
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Growing up as the youngest of eight children in New Orleans, Antoine Dominique Domino, Jr. learned to play the piano with help from his older sister’s husband. Guitarist Harrison Verrett labeled the keys of the Domino family piano and taught the beginner about the concept of chords. Young Domino was drawn to the boogie-woogie and swinging grooves of Meade Lux Lewis, Louis Jordan, and Amos Milburn. He started imitating those sounds on his own piano.
A Bandleader Gave Domino the Nickname “Fats”
Bassist Billy Diamond assembled a band to play at The Hideaway in New Orleans, including Domino and Verrett. Diamond was giving Domino a hard time about his voracious appetite and bestowed on him the “Fats” moniker. The nickname stuck for the rest of the singer’s life. The great drummer Earl Palmer asked Domino to sit in on piano with a band he was playing with. It was Dave Bartholomew’s band. Bartholomew was recently assigned as a talent scout and arranger for Imperial Records. He took his boss, Lew Chudd, to The Hideaway to see Domino and a record deal was offered on the spot. With Bartholomew’s band backing him, Domino recorded “The Fat Man” at J&M Studio in New Orleans. It was a reworking of Champion Jack Dupree’s “Junker Blues,” and it put Domino on the musical map. His string of R&B hits for Imperial led him to become the biggest-selling black artist of the ’50s. Domino went on tour with Annie Laurie, Professor Longhair, and Paul Gayten.
He Knocked Himself Out of No. 1
Bartholomew produced and arranged other acts such as Shirley & Lee, Smiley Lewis, and Roy Brown. He earned the nickname “Chief.” While working with Lloyd Price, pianist Salvadore Doucette was having trouble with the triplets on the intro to “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” Domino just happened to arrive at the studio at that time. Bartholomew enlisted him to sit at the piano. Domino not only nailed the intro, he played the solo in the middle. Ironically, it was “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” that knocked Domino’s “Going Home” out of the top spot on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart.
Four Major Riots Broke Out at His Shows
In late 1954, DJ Alan Freed started using the term “rock ‘n’ roll” on his radio show, describing exactly the type of music Domino had been releasing since 1950. The first rock and roll concert was held in New York City in January 1955, consisting of all black artists. As integrated audiences were dancing to rock ‘n’ roll, alcohol was served, and fights broke out. The police would intervene, and tensions would elevate.
In early 1956, 3,500 tickets were sold to a Fats Domino appearance in San Diego, California. Bottles were thrown, windows were broken, and people were hospitalized. Similar incidents occurred later that year in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and San Jose, California. A riot ensued during a show at the Newport, Rhode Island naval station. Journalists, politicians, psychologists, and parents all started wondering if rock ‘n’ roll was the common denominator in these incidents.
When confronted about the Newport riot, Domino said, “Well, you know when the Navy and the Marines get together …”
Domino would go on to headline the Biggest Show of Stars in 1957.
Elvis Referred to Domino as “the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”
The only artist to sell more records than Domino in the ’50s was Elvis Presley. As rock ‘n’ roll’s popularity grew, Domino continued having hit records. “Ain’t That a Shame” became his first record to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. A vanilla cover version was immediately released by Pat Boone, which charted higher. It was a mixed blessing for Domino as Boone’s version cut into his record sales. It also exposed the song to a broader audience and created more income for Domino and Bartholomew as they got paid for the songwriting. Big hits such as “I’m in Love Again,” “Blueberry Hill,” “Blue Monday,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Walkin’ to New Orleans,” and “Whole Lotta Lovin'” all reached the top 10.
During a press conference in 1969, a reporter brought up the title of “the King.” Shifting the focus, Presley motioned toward Domino and declared him to be “one of his influences from way back.”
“Lady Madonna” Was Domino’s Last Hit
Like for most American artists, the hits slowed down for Domino when the British Invasion hit. The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, and Herman’s Hermits took over the chart space where Domino, Presley, and The Everly Brothers had previously resided. Domino continued releasing singles and albums, and his touring schedule didn’t slow down as he continued to be a big draw. It was his version of John Lennon & Paul McCartney’s “Lady Madonna” in 1968 that would be his last appearance in the Top 100.
Domino is maybe only second to Louis Armstrong when it comes to representing the music of New Orleans. When rock ‘n’ roll was in its infancy, many artists were scrambling to change their style to fit into what was becoming so popular. Domino didn’t have to change a thing. With the help of Bartholomew, Domino’s records were the template for the music that would change the world.
Artists such as Little Richard, Smiley Lewis, Shirley & Lee, Professor Longhair, Joe Turner, Annie Laurie, Lloyd Price, and Paul Gayten all recorded at J&M Studio in New Orleans. The music captured in that 15′ x 16′ room was remarkable not only because of the music that was created there but also because it ignored the color barriers of the era and welcomed musicians based on their talent, not their race.
Domino was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the first class in 1986. He was 89 when he died of natural causes in 2017 at his home in Harvey, Louisiana.
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Photo by Clive Limpkin/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
